Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse men's basketball team leads by two points in the final seconds of overtime. The fans can barely watch. Duke brings the ball down the court.

Eighth-grader Alaina Kenny is down to her fourth and final chance to reach the national spelling bee. The parents can barely watch. The word is "scarab."

The stage was different — the Orange played before 35,466 screaming fans and a national television audience, the spelling bee was in front of family members and a public television audience — but the pressure was intense.